Ethiopia Opens Three-Day Talks With Somali Rebels

FILE – Ogaden National Liberation Front activists hold a banner in Mogadishu that reads, “The Ogaden freedom is the key to peace in the Horn of Africa,” during a ceremony that marked the organization’s 22nd anniversary in Somalia, Aug. 15, 2006.

WASHINGTON — (voanews) —The first round of three-day talks between Ethiopian officials and representatives from the Ethiopian rebel group of ethnic Somalis, Ogden National Liberation Front (ONLF), began Sunday at a secret location in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi.

Delegates from the two sides arrived Saturday for the talks that are being facilitated by Kenyan officials.

Abdulkadir Hassan Hirmoge, a spokesman for the ONLF, confirmed to VOA Somali that the talks have begun.

Hirmoge said each side has sent a delegation of four members. The ONLF delegation is led by Foreign Secretary Abdirahman Mahdi. It is unclear who is leading the Ethiopian delegation, but photos released by the Kenyan facilitators show the president of the Somali Regional State of Ethiopia, Abdi Mohamud Omar, sitting on the opposite side of the table, along with other officials.

A source close to the talks told VOA Somali that “Day One of the talks covered considerable ground and ended on a high note.”

Hirmoge cautioned that it was too soon to say how the talks might end because “there are big issues at stake.”

“We can’t talk prematurely, but these talks are about principles, on compensation, on self-determination, on freedom, referendum, on the economy and centuries-old aggression,” he said.

ONLF and the Ethiopian government fell out in 1994 after a dispute over self-determination. The dispute drove ONLF to war and turned the ethnic Somali state, rich with gas and oil, into a deadly battleground that claimed many lives.

In April 2007, ONLF rebels attacked an oil field in an Obolleh village near the regional capital of Jigjiga, killing 67 Ethiopian soldiers and nine Chinese oil workers. In response, Ethiopia heavily militarized the region and carried out a brutal operation, according to human rights organizations.

Previous failures

Talks were held in 2012 and 2013 in Kenya without concessions from either side.

Rashid Abdi, Horn of Africa project director for the International Crisis Group, said there were a number of issues that made the previous talks difficult.

“They (talks) have been characterized by a lot of mutual suspicion and a lack of confidence. But I think there was also the death of (former Ethiopian prime minister) Meles Zenawi, and the transition had an impact on how the talks should proceed,” he said.

“I think clearly all parties seemed to lack a bit of focus. On the part of the ONLF, I think they came to the table without having a clear vision on how they wanted to proceed, while the Ethiopians were basically seeking very minimal tactical advantages.”

Even with the talks having resumed, Abdi said it won’t be easy for the two sides to reach an agreement without significant compromises. The main sticking points are the Ethiopian constitution and referendum.

“Ethiopians want ONLF to concede on the issue of the constitution,” Abdi said. “ONLF previously said they were not going to recognize the federal constitution, and that was one of the sticking points. So, I suspect this issue will not be quickly resolved.

“Then there is the issue of what exactly ONLF wants? Does it want greater autonomy in the Somali region? Does it simply want power sharing, so that it can be part of the federal system? Does it want to monopolize power in the region? Does it want full independence? Those are the key issues.”

History of unrest

Ethiopia has seen political upheavals since 2016 following waves of protests in the Oromo region. There was also deadly ethnic violence in 2017 between Ethiopian Somalis in Oromo, which claimed dozens of lives and displaced tens of thousands of people.

ONLF’s Hirmoge said conditions on the ground in Ethiopia have something to do with the resumption of these talks.

“Now, we believe there have been big changes in Ethiopia. The conditions are changing. People cannot be silenced now. The talks coincide at a time when things are changing in Ethiopia on a daily, weekly and monthly basis. These have their own ripple effects,” Hirmoge says.

“I believe the conditions around the talks are better,” he added. “The prediction is different compared to previous ones (talks), but I don’t want to prejudge the result.” .

Abdi agrees that the timing of the talks is interesting and could work in favor of the stressed Ethiopian government.

“It comes at a time when Ethiopia feels under pressure from many multiple forms,” he said. “It has serious unrest, so they desperately need a good story. So, the resumption of the peace talks plays well internationally. Ethiopia can say ‘We are engaging the opposition.’ It’s good publicity, but one has to also consider whether there is really a strategic shift and interest to find a peaceful settlement, or are we simply back to the old games of simply playing tactical games?”

By Ahmed Abdimareeg.com-Peace talks between the Ethiopian government and Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF) restarted Sunday in Nairobi to end a half-century
Ogaden war, Kenyan officials said.

(mareeg)—–Late last year, An unofficial meeting between the Ethiopian government and Ogaden officials occurred in the United Arab Emirates to pave
the way for a second-round meeting.

The first direct meeting between the government of Ethiopia and ONLF ended nearly as soon as they started in 2012.

Kenya’s Garissa County Governor, Ambassador Ali Bunow Korane, said some progress was made after nearly six years of pushing the ONLF
and Ethiopia back to the table.

“Attended the reopening of the Ethiopian peace process between the Ethiopian government and the Ogaden National Liberation Front ( ONLF),”
said Governor Korane. “The talks which I have coordinated for the last six years have reached a crucial stage.”

“We have engaged in peace talks with the Ethiopian government in Nairobi and we have big plans,” ONLF spokesman Abdulkadir Sheikh Hassan
Hirmoge (Adani) said Sunday.

Neither Ethiopia nor Somali Regional State (SRS) has commented on their second official meeting with ONLF in Nairobi.

The Ethiopian delegation led by colonel Gebre Egziabher Alemseged, known as General Gabre, who is the former acting head of the Office
of the Facilitator for Somalia Peace and National reconciliation and Abdi Mohamoud Omar, president of the Ogaden regional state.

The four-member ONLF delegation from military and political wings included Abdirahman Mahdi, ONLF’s chief negotiator, Sulub Abdi Ahmed
Ogaden National Liberation Army Commander, Ahmed Yasin Dirane, ONLF Committee Chairman, and Ibado Hirsi Mahad, head of the group’s finances.

Deadly clashes between ONLF and Liyu Police occurred in Degahbur and Nogob provinces last week.

When TPLF took over the central government in 1991 it formed Federalism and new charter in which the people in the Somali territory applied
to article 39 of the Ethiopian Constitution, which defines the right of ethnocultural communities to self-determination, including the right to establish a regional state or independent state.

In 1994, Ogaden Parliament held their first vote for independence, where 84% of voters said they wanted ‘Ogadenia’ to be an independent
state. Since then, Ogaden relations with the TPLF-EPRDF soured.

Ogaden was part of Greater Somalia until the British annexed to Ethiopia on November 29, 1954. Since then the people of the Somali territory
waged an armed struggle against its occupation.

ONLF has been fighting to help Ogadenia become a sovereign nation since 1984 and waged a long, bloody war against Ethiopia’s military
and security forces.

The government failed to crush Ogaden rebellion militarily since 1994 and relied on harsh policies pursued by Ethiopia’s military several
attempts to end the Ogaden conflict politically provided fruitless.

1 Comment

Dear Oromo,
The two delegations pretending to represent Somali people in Ethiopia is not correct. They are only representing the sub-clan of Ogaden reer Abdillahi who are masterminded by the notorious Abdi Eily aka animal. As Oromo, you should know that Somalis are represented by Somali political organization not a clan Ogaden. VOA and other media that are sold out to Abdi idiot ( eily) will not make the difference on the ground. There are three generals paid by Abdi Eily that accompanying the idiot Abdi Eily

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